Tony Blair in parliament today: “Iraq in the end should not be run by the Americans, should not be

run by the British, should not be run by any outside force or power. It should be run for the first time

in decades by the Iraqi people.” There’s some wriggle room, of course, in the inclusion of those

words “in the end”. As Blair notes, “there is bound to be a situation of transition where the coalition

forces are de facto in control,” but the PM goes on to stress that the “aim is to move as soon as possible

to an Iraqi authority that will be run by Iraqis.”

Blair is right to emphasize this – the White House should do the same.